Mechanical starting mechanism for internal-combustion engines.



N. T. WOODS.

MECHANICAL STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1918.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

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N. T. WOODS.

MECHANICAL STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1913.

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NELSON T. WOODS, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO ELMER C. IDAHL, 0F

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OREGON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Application filed December 20, 1913. Serial No. 807,941.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NELSON T. Woons, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and Stateof Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Starting Mechanisms for lnternal-Combustion Engines, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of start ing mechanisms that are more especially designed for starting automobile engines and it generically comprehends an improved cooperative arrangement of a rack connection. with the engine shaft and a lever controlled means, operable by the driver of the car, for cranking the engine shaft, and automatically actuating means for restoring the said cranking devices to the normal position. after the engine shaft has been started.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for cranking automobile engine shafts, that can be readily adapted for use in connection with any of the ordinary types of automobile engines and in which the cooperating parts are so designed, that if the engine backfires, the said devices will be operatively so disconnected that there is little or no danger to the person starting the engine.

With other objects in view, that will be hereinafter fully explained, my invention consists in the peculiar construction and novel arrangement of the parts hereinafter fully described, specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in. the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my engine starting mechanism, so much of an au tomobile structure being shown as is necessary to illustrate the practical application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my engine starting mechanism, the parts being at the normal position, that is, the ac tuating rack member being back to the first position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, the front cover plate being omitted. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, the rack member being shown positioned in the act of imparting motion to the engine shaft. Fig. 5 is a View similar to Figs. 8 and 4, the power transmitting rack member being shown out of mesh with the gear on the engine shaft and in position for being drawn back to the first or normal position; Fig. 6 is across section of the said mechanism taken on the line 6 6 on Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a similar view on the line Z-7 on Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the rack member. F ig. 9 is a detail perspective view, parts being omitted of the main frame of the starter showing more particularly the lift arms.

In the practical embodiment of my invention the several parts are designed to operate as a mechanical cranking device, in which is included a shiftable power transmitting rack, adapted, under the manipulation of a lever located for being conveniently manipulated by the driver of the machine, to engage a gear on the engine shaft to thereby impart the ordinary cranking action to the shaft and which, after it has transmitted the desired rotary movement to the crank shaft is automatically kicked out of engagement with the gear on the en- 1 gine shaft and positioned for being readily pulled back, under a return spring power, and shifted to the first or normal position ready to be again moved into engagement with the gear on the engine shaft.

In the drawings, 1 have shown a preferred construction of my inventiombut I desire it understood that the said shown arrangement of parts may be readily modified or varied to suit difi'erent typesof or arrangement of motor engines.

4 designates the engine shaft upon which is fixedly held a cog gear 3, the upper portion of which projects through a slotway 30 formed in the bottom plate 31 of a casing 1 that is transversely disposed with respect to the shaft. The casing 1, which is suitably supported on the machine frame, includes a back plate, the bottom and top members 3132 and removable front and rear plates 34-34.

33 designates a horizontally disposed guide member fastened to the bottom member 31 of the casing, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

2 designates a rack member and it is reciprocably slidable within the casing 1, with its toothed bottom resting upon a guide member 33, as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the said rack member 2 is also provided with smooth guide surfaces 25 for engaging guide rollers 5345 hereinafter again referred to.

6 designates a flexible cable that is attached to one end of the rack 2. The cable 6 passes over a horizontally disposed guide sheave 60, mounted in a slot 61 in one end of the back plate of the casing 1, and from the guide sheave 60 it extends to an operating lever 62, located near the operators seat, as is clearly shown in Fig. l.

7 designates a guide sheave located in a slot in the other end of the back plate of the casing, and over the said sheave 7 passes a flexible cable 71 that is connected to a stout coiled spring 72, which serves to retract or pull back the rack 2 when the pull strain on the same is released, as will be hereinafter further explained.

10-10 designate a pair of pivoted levers or dogs and they are positioned, with respect to the rack 2 and the cog gear 3, so that the said rack 2, when it is pulled forwardly to engage and impart the desired rotary movement to the crank shaft, engages the levers 10 and forces them down to the position shown in Fig. 4. 7

12-12 designate a pair of plunger pins cooperating with the levers 10, and each of the said pins is normally forced upwardly by a stout coiled spring 18 held within the casing 14 pendent from the main casing 1, as is best shown in Fig. 6.

A pair of oppositely disposed thrust rollers 5-5 are mounted on the front and back plates of the main casing 1, and these are so disposed, relatively to the engine shaft gear 3, that they hold the rack in relative mesh with the said gear 3 during the action of cranking the shaft 4:. Another important purpose of the said rollers is that they form guide rollers for cooperating with the opposite guide faces 25 on the bottom of the rack, when the said rack is automatically returned to its normal position (see Fig. 5) by reason of constructing and combining the several parts as shown and described, the operation of effecting the cranking of the engine shaft 4: is easy, since a pull throw of the operators lever pulls the rack into a direct mesh with the shaft gear 3, with which it is held in mesh by the rollers 5-5.

During the forward or cranking movement of the rack the levers 10-10 are swung down to cause the plungers 12-12 to store up tension of the springs 13, which latter, so soon as the rear end of the rack passes the foremost set of rollers 5-5 cause the plungers 12 to kick up the rear end of the said rack 2 to a plane above the said foremost rollers 5-5 (see Fig. 5), it being understood that when this occurs, pull on the operating lever is released, the spring 72 pulls the said rack 2 over the rollers 5-5, the smooth guide surfaces 25 on the rack 2 now engaging the said rollers 5-5, as is best shown in Fig. 6, until the front end of the said rack passes over the rollers 5-5 and until the rear end of the said rack passes the rearmost rollers 5-5, and. being thus released from the rollers, the said rack drops back to its normal position (see Fig. 3) and ready for another cranking operation.

By reason of mounting the thrust rollers 5-5 within the housing in the manner shown and described, the said rollers positively hold the rack 2 in mesh with the engine shaft gear during the operation of cranking the engine and likewise positively hold the said rack out of connection with the said engine shaft'gear, and form roller guides with which the opposite guide edges of the under side of the rack bar 2 engage as the said rack is pulled back to the normal position.

What I claim:

1. In a starting mechanism for gas engines, the combination with the main or engine shaft, a housing extending across the engine shaft, a cog gear fast on the engine shaft that extends up into the housing, a rack member slidable within the housing and having teeth on its lower edge for engaging the cog gear on the engine shaft, a lever controlled means for moving the rack member to its starting direction, a spring controlled means for moving the said memher in the other direction, thrust members within the housing for engaging and holding the rack member in mesh with the engine shaft gear, as the said rack member is pulled forwardly, and means for lifting the-said member to a plane above the thrust members when the said member has applied the crank motion to the engine shaft, the said thrust members forming guides for engaging the under side of the rack member to hold the said member lifted above the engine shaft gear as the member is pulled back over the said thrust members, the said last mentioned means consisting of plunger members, springs that normally force the said members outwardly and pivoted dogs that engage the said plunger members and whose free ends project into the path of movement of the rack member as the said bar is pulled forwardly to be engaged and forced downwardly by the said rack member for the purpose described.

2. In a starting device for gas engines, the combination with the main or engine shaft, a housing extending transversely of the engine shaft, a driving gear fixed on the said shaft, a rack member slidable in the housing, said member including smooth guide portions at the opposite edges of the toothed portion on the lower face thereof, manually operable means for moving the said rack member into engagement with the gear on the shaft, the said rack member having smooth guide surfaces at the opposite edges of the top face thereof, oppositely disposed guide rollers mounted on the inside of the casing, with which the said upper guide surfaces of the rack member engage as the member is Copies of this: patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the rollers to bring the lower guide portions of the said member in position to ride over the guide rollers, and means for pulling the rack member backwardly When it is lifted to ride upon the guide rollers, as set forth.

NELSON T. WOODS.

Witnesses SAMUEL OLSON, P. RICHEN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

